Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics Session 1: Becoming Holy Together

Introduction The Becoming Holy Together study is about the process of sanctification in the context of Christian community. That is, it is about the process of becoming practically holy (holy in our practice) in and through relationships with others. Last month, I mentioned that we would start our study by looking at the basics of sanctification. I said that this month we would try to answer questions like: What is sanctification? When does sanctification begin? Sin – what is it? What’s the problem with it? Does the process of sanctification (the process of becoming holy) have anything to do with other people? Or is sanctification just a ‘me and Jesus’ thing? If so, what do other people have to do with us becoming holy? But before we can answer these questions, we need to have a basic understanding of God, ourselves, and salvation. So, this morning we will start our study by considering two aspects of the nature of God that relate to becoming holy together. Then we will consider what it means that we are image-bearing creatures. Then we will look at the problem of sin – and how sin has affected our relationships with God and others. Next, we will look at salvation – i.e., the nature of regeneration and its work in our souls. And, at that point, we will have enough of a foundation to answer our questions about the basics of sanctification and briefly touch on the concept of being sanctified in the context of community. I think that there are two aspects of the nature of God that are foundational to understanding the process of becoming holy together. They are that God is both fundamentally relational and essentially holy.

We will take those one at a time.

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics God is Fundamentally Relational.

What do I mean by that?????

I mean that God is a relational being. He relates. He connects. He engages.

He doesn’t sit back as a disinterested spectator or a disconnected observer.

He has relationships. He makes relationships. He has created a relational world.

There are four ways that this truth about the nature of God is taught in Scripture.

We know that God is relational because He is Trinitarian in nature.

We know that God is relational because He is love, and love does not exist outside of relationship.

We know that God is relational because He has revealed Himself in relational terms (Father and Son).

We know that God is relational because the Gospel is about restoring our relationship with God, reconciling us to Him.

We know that God is relational because He is Trinitarian in nature.

God has eternally existed as one essence in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The doctrine of the Trinity is taught throughout the Bible – from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:17; in creation, in re-creation, in sanctification, in every aspect of our faith we see the three distinct members of the one unified God-head relating, connecting, engaging with each other and with Creation – the one in three, three in one:

...And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV) 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6 ESV) By the way, this understanding of God, flies in the face of the Muslim, Jehovah’s witness, and orthodox Jewish understanding of God.

We know that God is relational because He is love; love does not exist outside of relationship.

Love is a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.

Love does not exist in isolation.

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics That is, love does not exist outside of relationship.

God is love, and He has always been loving another.

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8 ESV)

So, we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16 ESV) We know that God is relational because He has revealed Himself in the most intimate of relational terms (Father, Son, Spirit).

That ‘other’ that God has always been loving, is His Son.

God has revealed Himself to man-kind as a Father, one who sent His SON into this world that we might see Him, recognize Him, and know Him.

1Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews 1:1-4 ESV) ...For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:16-18 ESV)

As a side note, some versions use the term “the only begotten Son” in place of the “only Son” in the preceding passage (and others like it).

It is important to recognize that the Bible is not using the term ‘begotten’ in the sense of origin (the normal way that we understand it).

As one Bible Teacher so aptly states, “Expressions like "eternal generation," "only begotten Son," and others pertaining to the filiation of Christ must all be understood in this sense: Scripture employs them to underscore the absolute oneness of essence between Father and Son. In other words, such expressions aren't intended

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics

to evoke the idea of procreation; they are meant to convey the truth about the essential oneness shared by the Members of the Trinity.”1i

We can understand begotten in the sense that Christ is the radiance, the image, the shine, the glory, the going out of the Father’s being – of one essence with Him.

God’s own perfect self-revelation is the eternally begotten Son, which by necessary inference reveals the eternal patrimony of the Father. These are not like our Father / Child relationships – this is a totally unique paternal relationship – it is unlike anything we can even imagine, for this was not starting point, Christ was not ‘born’ into the Trinity, He is the “Firstborn” over the new Creation. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were

created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or

rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all

things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church. He

is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him to reconcile to

himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his

cross. (Colossians 1:15-20 ESV)

You see, not only is the concept of Christ being ‘begotten’ not about origin it is about destination. Christ from all eternity was the “Firstborn” overall creation, the One who inherits everything from His Father.

Also, the Holy Spirit is a Person, not a force. He is the third Person of this unified relational trio. In Scripture, we see Him doing all the types of things persons do, and everything that is true of God is true of the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit is God.

...These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you... (John 14:25-26 ESV)

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7 ESV) The closeness of the relationships within the Trinity is beyond our ability to comprehend. The Son is the radiance, the image, the shine, the glory, the going out of the Father’s being. As there was never a time

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics that the Father did not exist, so also there was never a time that the Son did not exist. For the Son is the manifestation of the Father, and not just an embodiment of His essence, but the fullness of His being – the One Who from all eternity has delighted in the life-giving love of His Father. In all of this, the divine Holy Spirit of God binds them together in love, ever stirring up their delight in one another and drawing us into this holy union that we might do the same.

Here we do not even have time to touch on the whole point of redemption being about establishing a marriage relationship between Christ and His bride.

It will have to suffice to say that God is not only relational, but He is so intimate in His relationships that it He is fundamentally, in His essence, a relational Being.

We know that God is relational because the Gospel is about restoring our relationship with God, reconciling us to Him.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God… (Ephesians 2:13-19 ESV) And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death... (Colossians 1:21-22 ESV)

Just to re-cap, we know that God is fundamentally relational because:

He is Trinitarian, He is Love. He has revealed Himself in relational terms. And, the Gospel is about reconciling us to God, restoring our relationship with Him and each other.

But that is not all. God is both fundamentally relational and essentially holy. Second, God is Essentially Holy.

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics What do I mean by that?????

I mean that God is intrinsically, innately holy.

Scripture repeatedly tells us that God is holy.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:1-3 ESV) “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8 ESV What does holy mean?

A distilled definition of holy is “set‐apart, distinct, different, other; perfectly morally pure, sinless, upright, and containing nothing exceptionable.”ii

And, what do I mean by saying that God is essentially holy?

When I say that God is essentially holy I mean that intrinsic to God’s nature, essence, being, and person, He is set‐apart, distinct, different, other; perfectly morally pure, sinless, upright, and containing nothing exceptionable.

In other words, God is in a class of His own. He is self-existent. God exists and sustains His existence by His own power. God is truly the only autonomous being who has ever or will ever exist. God is the Eternal Spirit who never had a beginning and will never end (Job 36:26; Isaiah 46:8-11; John 4:24). God is a real personal being that has always and will always self-exist. God is also holy in that He has a divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). God thinks divine thoughts; He thinks in a way that only God thinks (Isaiah 55:8; Romans 11:33-36). God feels divine feelings. He feels in a way that only He can feel (Genesis 6:6; Mark 3:5; Ephesians 4:30). God wills (determines, intends) divine plans; He wills and purposes in a way that only God can choose and plan (Ephesians 1:5-9, 3:1-11). In all of this, God thinks, feels, and wills with perfect understanding, perfect knowledge, and absolute purity. What else does it mean that God is essentially holy?

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics

God is perfectly morally pure, sinless, upright, and containing nothing exceptionable. God has never sinned in thought, word, or deed. God never does anything wrong, nor is He ever the author of any evil temptation.

“…God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone…” (James 1:13b, NIV).

God has always been and will always be morally perfect. He is clean, pure, sinless, upright, righteous, good, kind, long-suffering, patient, merciful, full of grace, compassionate, peaceful, sincere, truthful, and in every other possible way: God is morally perfect.

God is never dishonest. He never lies, cheats, or sneaks. He is never unfaithful, never un-wise, never unwilling or incapable of doing what is right. And, since God is unchanging; He will never not be perfectly morally upright.

"The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He. " (Deuteronomy 32:4 ESV) Every trait of God is both perfect and unchanging in its perfection – perfect in the sense of whole, perfected, complete and perfect in the sense of can’t be improved upon. God is completely, and essentially perfect. He is holy.

Since God is holy in every way possible; God is glorious in the most possible way. He is worthy of fame and admiration. He has striking beauty and splendor that evokes feelings of delighted admiration in us. But, what is God’s glory? God’s glory is the overflowing radiance and the brilliance of the holiness of God (i.e., the set‐ apart‐ness of God) which calls forth our worship, admiration, and praise. God’s glory is the revelation of the surpassing magnificence, beauty, and value of Who God is in all of His perfect characteristics. His perfect love, His sovereignty, His patience, His kindness, His wisdom, His loveliness, and all of the other perfections that make God desirable, delightful, pleasing, admirable, and glorious. One Bible teacher explains God’s glory like this, “The glory of God is the holiness of God put on display. That is, it is the infinite worth of God made manifest.”2

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics

This is why in God’s throne room, the great seraphim cry out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory! " (Isaiah 6:3).

Which leads us to our next main point:

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics Men and women were created to glorify God by reflecting His image and by rightly relating to Him in joyful fellowship with Him and with each other.

In other words, the purpose for which humanity exists is the glory of God.

First, everything that exists, exists for the glory of God. Creation manifests (makes known) His glory. Really, all creation gives us at least a small glimpse of the incomprehensible greatness of who God is.

And, in a very unique way, man-kind was created to display the glory of God, for we were created to be image bearers and we were created with faculties necessary for worshipping God. Image Bearing . “...Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… …So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them… …And God blessed them. (Genesis 1:26-28 ESV) Briefly, how do we bear the image of God?

1. Structurally 2. Functionally 3. Relationally 4. Covenantally

First, we bear the image of God in our structural design:

Trinitarian Nature of God – one in three, three in one / one humanity/ two distinctions of persons – male and female persons.

We also have what is referred to as communicable attributes – here we are not speaking of the attributes of God that we do not reflect (omnipresence, omniscient, omnipotence, infinitude, etc.), but moral attributes that reflect the moral attributes of God, traits like love, justice, mercy, goodness, kindness, and even to some degree holiness.

Second, we bear the image of God in our Functional design:

And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth… … And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Humanity was created to reflect the kingly nature of God by having charge of the rest of creation.

Finally, we bear the image of God in that we are relational beings.

We relate to God

We relate to other human beings.

We relate to the created order (as those that are to care for it and have dominion over it)

We were created to glorify God, reflecting His glory not only by virtue of our image-bearing capacities; but we were also created to glorify God by rightly relating to Him as our creator God. Rightly relating to God is worshipping Him. We were created to worship God. Men and women were created with unique abilities of thought, emotion, and expression through language; for the purpose of having the capacities necessary for knowing, loving, and worshipping God.

God created us with all the mental and emotional abilities that are necessary for recognizing the indescribable worth of God in His holiness and responding to His indescribable worth and glory in loving adoration and worship of Him. For God created people with the specific intent that of all the creatures in the universe, man would most clearly and intentionally glorify God, by reflecting, revealing, and making known His glory. As the Scripture says, ...everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:7 ESV) Fourth, as image bearers, as sons of God, we are covenantal beings. We are sons of God and we are servant -Kings and Queens. We were created with a privilege and responsibility to be loving, loyal, and obedient children. Children that trust their loving Creator-Father- God.

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics In summary, men and women were created to glorify God by reflecting His image and by rightly relating to Him in joyful fellowship with Him and with each other. We were made to worship Him.

Sin – what is it? What’s the problem with it?

However, as we all know, sin has marred the image of God in man and woman, broken the fellowship that man and woman enjoyed with God and each other, and rendered man and woman incapable of and unwilling to glorify God. As fallen creatures we have broken faith with God.

Sin is missing the mark; a fault, failure (in an ethical sense), a sinful deed, a falling short of God’s glory.

Sin is also a principle of rebellion at work within our mortal bodies – an evil lying close at hand.

From the Scripture, we know that sin consists of missing the mark of God’s holiness. It is anything that we say, think, or do that is not holy - as God is Holy. Sin is any way in which people, who were created to be God’s image bearers, fail to reveal an accurate picture of who God is or fail to worship Him as God. The Bible also qualifies sin as a falling short of God’s glory. …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… (Romans 3:23 ESV) Sin is also a principle of rebellion at work within our mortal bodies, as well. It is a principle that the Bible describes as an evil lying close at hand- “…waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive…" (Romans 7:21-22 ESV). You see, sin is more than misdeeds, misdemeanors, and misconduct; it is a principle within each human being’s flesh which is at war with God. In these ways, sin is also a suppression about who God is. And, the justice of God demands that sin must be punished. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Claiming to be wise, they became

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:18-23 ESV) But, by taking on human flesh and dying on the cross in our place, Jesus fully paid for (atoned for) our sins, bore the wrath of God and satisfied the justice of God. (Romans 3:21-26; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18). As Paul wrote:

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:24-25 ESV) ...For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:22-26 ESV)

Justification is the legal-declaration of God that the believer is righteous before God because of the substitutionary-atonement and imputed- righteousness of Jesus Christ. Justification is received by faith alone (Romans 1:17, 4:5, 22-25).

God imputed Christ with our sin and God imputes Christ’s righteousness to us, so that we can stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Romans 4:22-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

To impute is to apply to one’s account, i.e., to credit, reckon, or consider.

God imputed Christ with our sin, so that by His death He could atone for our sins. And, God imputes Christ’s righteousness (i.e., His perfect obedience to the law, sinlessness, moral perfection) to us so that we can stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Romans 4:22-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 ESV). What is sanctification? When does sanctification begin? Justification results in positional sanctification (the right standing before God). The process of learning to live in that positional sanctification is what we call practical sanctification (I’ll just use the term sanctification to speak of practical sanctification from here on out). Sanctification is the process of becoming holy.

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics That is, it is the process of being set apart to God in practical terms, having our image bearing capacities restored, having the effects of sin wiped out in real time, in real life. Sanctification is the process of becoming what we already are through our union with Christ. Sanctification is the process of learning to live in holiness and in righteousness. Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit experientially and supernaturally sets the believer apart from sin to God by conforming her to the image of Christ – conforming her mind, heart, and will to the mind, heart, and will of God. . 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29 ESV) Sanctification is a continual increasing conformity of the image of our persons to the image of the person of Christ. Practically speaking, sanctification is the process by which our natures take on the likeness of the nature of Christ.

This does not mean that we become Christ. It means that through the process of sanctification we become increasingly qualitatively like Christ in our inner being; Christian sanctification is the supernatural transformation of the inner-being – the Godward transformation of our characteristics, attributes, moral traits (i.e., inner-person, inner-man, inner essence).

Sanctification is the renewal of the image of God in us– the restoration of our moral attributes, the renewal of our ability to rightly reflect God in our role as male and female image-bearers, and the practical reconciliation of our ability to rightly relate to God and to each other.

Sanctification is a process of divine transformation, not self-willed reformation. Not a diet, a total change of desire.

Not an improvement, a divine renovation.

Not a short-term fix, a work of God that has eternal consequences.

18And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18 ESV) Sanctification results in consecration and ends in glorification (1 John 3:1-3).

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3 ESV) …God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27 ESV)

Only the Sanctified are Sanctified.

Before becoming practically holy, God makes us positionally holy.

…we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10 ESV) For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14 ESV) Something important to understand about sanctification is that Positional holiness will always manifest itself in practical holiness. This is because of the nature of regeneration.

To be regenerate is to be born again.

In other words, being born again into a holy life results in holy living.

This is because when we are born-again we become new creatures.

We are new Creatures, saved by faith in the Gospel, and we begin to live life in a totally new way. For, the Gospel (by which we are saved) is transformative.

Faith in the Gospel, in Christ, is transformative:

Through it we are:

Transformed from death to life;

Transformed from separated from God to reconciled to God;

Transformation of citizenship;

Transformation from idolatry to worship in Spirit and Truth;

Transformation from being crippled spiritually to the ability to walk uprightly before God,

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics

Transformation of heart (Ezekiel 36) from stony to soft, supple, and tender-hearted devotion to God;

Transformed relationship to God’s law: we have become obedient from the heart; we are now under grace;

Transformation of desires;

Transformed from profane to consecrated for God;

Transformation of Character: from self-centered to Christ-likeness;

Transformed from faithless to faithful/ hopeless to hope filled;

Transformation of perspectives/values – what use to matter takes second place to Christ – or loses value completely;

Transformation of Relationships;

And we could say more.

All of this results in the transformation of practical (and sometimes seemingly secondary) matters in our lives, such as:

our personal habits – how we dress, how we speak, what we eat, what we want,

where we spend our time,

how we spend our money,

who we want to spend time with,

how we speak to people,

how we show love,

how we treat others,

our moral character traits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, self-control, etc. etc.

The process by which we experience these transformations in real-life is called sanctification.

If someone is not experiencing any level of sanctification than they are may not yet be regenerate.

I am not saying that we are saved because we are sanctified; I am saying that we are sanctified because we are saved. Sanctification is the fruit of regeneration.

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics

For this reason, the Bible says:

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV) Therefore, we must ask ourselves? Are we becoming holy? Are we being sanctified? If not, we need to repent and believe the Gospel. The Holy Spirit sanctifies every believer that He indwells.

...but we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. (2 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV) ...To those who are elect exiles… …according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (1 Peter 1:1-2 ESV)

And, at the same time, the sanctified are called to corporate with God in the process of sanctification.

...Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV) …Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14 ESV)

Another aspect of Sanctification is that of Renewed Image Bearing

Through the process of sanctification our image bearing capacities are renewed.

As we have already seen, humanity was created to bear the image of God.

The New Creation, the re-created in Christ, increasingly bear the true image of God.

The Word says,

...you have put off the old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being

renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:9-10 ESV)

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in

order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29 ESV)

As we become increasingly holy and our transformation to the likeness of Christ increases, we become (in practical ways) what we are (positionally because of our union with Christ) – the New Humanity – the true image-bearers that God has created and recreated us to be. You see, practical sanctification is the restoration of our image-bearing capacity.

Through it we are:

Structural restored – our character, moral capacities, those “communicable attributes” are renewed in the image of Christ.

Functionally restored – our consecration to the service of God is renewed as we love Him more and seek to do His will more.

Relationally restored – Our relationships with Him, each other and the world will be renewed – they will be sanctified, set-apart and made holy unto the Lord.

Covenantally restored – Instead of being faithless, we become faithful. That is, we become the loving, loyal, obedient and trusting children that we were created to be.

That is why I say true holiness is fundamentally relational.

This is because:

True holiness will manifest itself in increasing moral purity.

Moral purity affects every relationship that we have – it is the consecration of our thinking-processes, our emotions, our desirers, and in turn, our decisions, actions, and behaviors.

All of which, directly affect and impact our relationships with God and others.

For example, our ability to love is restored in the process of sanctification.

Love is the chief ‘moral capacity / communicable attribute’ from which all other communicable attributes proceed: mercy, justice, wisdom, kindness, goodness, etc. etc.

As we said at the beginning of our study,

Love is a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.

And love does not exist in isolation.

That is, love does not exist outside of relationship.

True holiness manifests itself in love for God.

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics True holiness will manifest itself in love for others. All this to say, as our practical holiness increases our personal relationships are perfected.

This is because the process of transformation into the image of Christ is intrinsically a relational process. So, in answer to our questions:

Does the process of sanctification (the process of becoming holy) have anything to do with other people? Or is sanctification just a ‘me and Jesus’ thing? Emphatically, it does! It has EVERYTHING to do with other people. Any concept of practical sanctification in isolation or becoming holy in a bubble is completely unbiblical. Really, it is laughable if you think about it. I know sometimes it feels preferred, but it isn’t real; it isn’t possible.

So, what do other people have to do with us becoming holy?

In a word, EVERYTHING. Which leads us to Our Take Away Together is the appointed means and the intended end to becoming holy. The Christian life is not an isolated experience; the process of sanctification is not accomplished in isolation but in the context of Christian relationships.

The Great commission, evangelism, discipleship, the fruit of the Spirit, every act of service in the Christian life, all issues of moral purity, the greatest commandment and the second greatest commandment are all either essentially relational or have a relational dimension.

Through our union with Christ we are reconciled to God and each other, throughout the process of sanctification our relational qualities are fully restored so that we can rightly relate to God and each other.

Glorification is the consummation of sanctification.

The perfection of our personal and practical holiness as well as our complete transformation into the image of Christ will culminate in joyful unbroken fellowship with God and with each other when we are glorified.

Until then, we will be Becoming Holy Together.

Becoming Holy Together Session 1: Sanctification Basics

Beth Hogan October 13, 2018

Becoming Holy Together Session 1 Manuscript: 30m. / 4500wds.

i John MacArthur, Reexamining the Eternal Sonship of Christ. Grace to You. A235. Retrieved October 11, 2018 from https://www.gty.org/library/articles/A235/reexamining-the-eternal-sonship-of-christ. ii Hogan, Beth. 2014. Walking in Newness of Life. Milford, Pennsylvania, Self-Published.